Page 158 - Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

Allah's Miracles in the Qur'an

The formation of a new human being begins with the cross com-
bination of one of these chromosomes, which exist in males and
females in pairs. In females, both components of the sex cell, which

divides into two during ovulation, carry X chromosomes. The sex cell
of a male, on the other hand, produces two different kinds of sperm,
one that contains X chromosomes and the other Y chromosomes. If an
X chromosome from the female unites with a sperm that contains an X
chromosome, then the baby is female. If it unites with the sperm that
contains a Y chromosome, the baby is male.

father's sex chromosomes mother's sex chromosomes

meiosis
sperm types egg types

zygote
phenotypes

child
phenotypes
females males

The Y chromosome carries characteristics of masculinity, while the X chro-
mosome carries those of femininity. In the mother's egg, there is only the X
chromosome, which determines female characteristics. In the semen from
the father, there are sperms that include either X or Y chromosomes.
Therefore, the sex of the baby depends on whether the sperm fertilising the
egg contains an X or Y chromosome. In other words, as stated in the verse,
the factor determining the sex of the baby is the semen, which comes from
the father. This knowledge, which could not have been known at the time
when the Qur'an was revealed, is evidence to the fact that the Qur'an is the
word of Allah.

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